‘Outside the box’: Columbus church takes Vacation Bible School to community

By Lindsey Carraway
Writing Specialist

COLUMBUS, Miss. — W.I.N. Columbus — which stands for “Witnessing In Neighborhoods” — is a ministry of East End Baptist Church, Columbus, whose mission strategy is to take the Gospel to the surrounding community through backyard Bible clubs, VBS, and neighborhood block parties beyond the church walls. 

Around seven years ago, Byron Benson, pastor of East End, had a vision of reaching, teaching, and ministering to the community more effectively. Soon after, W.I.N. Columbus was started with a wholehearted focus on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as given by Jesus in Matthew chapters 22 and 28. 

Today, the ministry is made up of volunteer church members forming multiple mission teams. The volunteers serve at different locations throughout the summer. With the ultimate goal of sharing the Gospel, teams go into neighborhoods and set up tents and tables for Bible study, crafts, and games, not only for children, but for adults as well. Each night, attendees are also served meals such as hamburgers, hot dogs, and tacos. 

“W.I.N. is just like having Vacation Bible School at church, but it’s outside and we’re intentionally taking it to them,” said Jennifer Garner, director of W.I.N. Columbus. “Our first week this year, we had three baptisms and have been able to have a lot of Gospel conversations beyond that. Some even attended our church on Sunday, so it has all been very exciting.”

W.I.N. Columbus has carried out ministry three weeks this summer, with one more week set in July before school begins. The first VBS took place in neighborhoods near the Air Force base. 

“We have been doing that one the longest,” said Garner. “Every year, there’s a family with about five or six kids that wait on us every afternoon to get there. They come running down to participate in Bible school. It’s exciting to see them so enthusiastic about us coming out there. I think we’re having an impact in that way and making a difference in their lives.”

An Outreach that Impacts the Inside

“Becoming director was a God thing,” Garner shared. “When the vision first started and Bro. Byron talked about it, I thought, ‘Absolutely not. This is crazy. I’m not going out there to do Bible school.’ I grew up doing Bible school in church, and so I did not go that first summer. Then the second time we did it, the Lord tugged on my heart that I needed to go. So I did, and I fell in love with it. Around 2021 or 2022 is when I stepped into the role of director. 

“It has changed my life, and now I hope we don’t ever have to go back to Bible school being inside the church.”

Garner notes that the church is really catching on to the vision. In just the last two weeks of W.I.N., around 50 volunteer church members have stepped up to reach the community. Even new members, Garner said, have joined the mission to start Gospel conversations and build relationships. 

“This ministry pushes people out of their comfort zone, including myself,” said Garner. “It’s really encouraging when you see that happening. For so long, we had a set number of people that would go and do it, but that number is growing.”

Garner also emphasized Gospel training. Before W.I.N. Columbus begins, Garner trains volunteers on sharing the Gospel and starting those conversations. East End Baptist Church also dedicates Sunday night services to missions teaching, and the church’s outreach leaders train Sunday school classes on being a Gospel witness. 

On Sunday afternoons, the church takes the Gospel to the local laundromat, the car wash, and similar, everyday places where ordinary people need the Good News of the hope and salvation found in Jesus Christ. 

“From my own experience, I would encourage people to think outside the box and look at opportunities beyond the four church walls, and go there,” said Garner. “That’s what the Lord calls us to do.”

This ministry received funding from the Margaret Lackey State Offering through the Golden Triangle Baptist Association. Your gifts to Margaret Lackey help the local church carry the Gospel into the community. For more information about the offering, visit www.margaretlackey.com.